Rotana Hotels will open three new hotels in Doha before the end of 2018 as part of its expansion drive in Qatar, a senior official has announced.
"The new properties are the 220-key Centro Capital Doha (under the lifestyle affordable hotel brand Centro by Rotana), 400-key Plaza Rayhaan Doha and 225-key Downtown Arjaan Doha," chief operating officer Guy Hutchinson said.
“We want to offer affordable yet world-class service to the Qatari market,” said Hutchinson, who was speaking at a media roundtable in Doha on Thursday as part of Rotana’s 2016 GCC Road Show.
The new hotels will be adding 845 rooms to Rotana's 1,876 keys in Qatar. Operating 100 hotels in 19 cities in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, it now has a total of 14,867 rooms across the region.
Centro Capital Doha will open in the first quarter of this year while Plaza Rayhaan Doha and Downtown Arjaan Doha are expected to open in 2017 and 2018.
Hutchinson noted that GCC remains Rotana's largest outbound and inbound travel market in the region in terms of volume and value.
“Currently, 37% of our room nights and 40% of our room revenue are generated from the GCC region, with the company witnessing an increase of nearly 8% year on year,” he said. “Of this revenue, Qatar’s share is about 5 to 6% depending on the month.”
Rotana is also currently developing 46 new properties (12,196 rooms) in 26 cities in four regions where it operates.
For this year, the COO sees a positive outlook for the hospitality sector despite the oil price slowdown due to continued spending in infrastructure projects.
He said GCC countries are also exerting efforts to diversify their incomes, a move believed to create a positive impact on sustaining investor appetite for the region and its tourism industry.
Hutchinson cited Qatar Tourism Authority’s (QTA) plan to attract 7mn visitors annually by 2030 will directly contribute at least 3.1% to the country’s gross domestic product.
Last year, QTA launched Qatar Business Events sub-brand in Spain to promote the country as a leading business destination.
With cities such as Dubai, Doha and Jeddah becoming popular destinations for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions, he expressed confidence the hospitality industry will maintain its continuous growth.
“While demand from traditional source markets has seen a decline, we have been witnessing a steady rise in intra-regional travel – a trend we expect to continue through 2016,” Hutchinson said.
Besides having unique and diverse range cultural attractions, he stressed that Qatar also hosts numerous regional and international sports competitions including the FIFA World Cup.
According to the COO, the hospitality industry is also focusing on “the new generation of travellers” who are capable of influencing old timers.
“We have developed a Rotana mobile app which has posted a 20% increase in monthly mobile bookings in 2015, delivering a significant return on investment in developing the mobility platform,” he added.